Friday, May 15, 2015

Concerned Citizens of Greensboro Speak Out On DGI

A group calling itself the Concerned Citizens of Greensboro recently sent the following e-mail to members of the Greensboro City Council:


"To the Members of Greensboro City Council:
Downtown Greensboro Inc. (DGI) has been ineffective in its duties to advance downtown development inclusively, equitably and economically.  The leadership has been unstable and unable
Or unwilling to change its culture.  As a nonprofit charged with improving our downtown, its board of directors represent wealthy interests. Many of the board members are from banks, investment and mortgage groups, that don’t represent the interests of the nonwhite, poorer, disadvantaged, or homeless citizens of our city. We chose to write to you today with specific recommendations for DGI.
1. Zack Matheny should not be the CEO for DGI. He is unqualified to lead the development of an inclusive and equitable downtown. Zach Matheny's past and present divisive partisan politics will work to benefit some at the expense of others.   

Then there is the issue of the conflict of interests. Over half of DGI’s funding comes from the City of Greensboro. 
2. DGI should be dissolved, and a more equitable, truly representative organization should take its place. DGI’s track record of being primarily white, and only representing the interests of wealthier citizens is destructive. As a taxpayer funded organization, DGI must represent the entire tax base, not only those who own property downtown. Currently DGI is contributing to the gentrification of the Southside neighborhood, running out black residents who can no longer afford the inflated property values that DGI boosts about.  
Simply put, DGI is extremely out of touch, and most concerned with the issues of its wealthier board members. Instead of addressing the poverty in Greensboro, DGI is more concerned with how ‘uncomfortable’ poverty makes those who work and shop downtown.  At the least DGI is not effective or representative of the broader taxpayer community.

Sincerely,
Concerned Citizens of Greensboro"

I am currently trying to verify if this was Concerned Citizens of Greensboro or Concerned Citizens of Northeast Greensboro.